Ralph In The Middle
by A.Bicksler
Summary: An analysis of the psyche. Comparing Ralp to the id and superego. Final Copy, actually has a concluding paragraph!


Ralph in the Middle  
  
Psyche is defined as the mind functioning as the center of thought, emotion, and behavior and consciously or unconsciously adjusting the body's responses to the social and physical environment. Freud categorized the brain and psyche into three main parts, the id, the ego, and the superego. The characters of Lord of the Flies fit into the categories of id, ego, and superego as part of Freud's analysis of the psyche.  
  
Freud named the most primitive part of the brain the id. People are born with the id and it resides within everyone without knowing it. The id is driven by primitive animal instincts that include sexual impulses and it maximizes any pleasure and minimizes any pain. The id acts on impulse, without knowing what is right, or moral.  
  
In other words, the id is a personal little devil, working inside of people without them knowing it. Imagine a 'Bugs Bunny' cartoon. When the character needs to decide what it should do, you always see the little angel appear on the left side, and the little devil appear on the right. The id, the devil, tells Bugs that he can get away with the act, while the little angel tells him not to do something bad.  
  
The last part of the psyche is the superego. At five or six years of age, humans begin to learn about the norms, rules, and morals. Freud argued that children memorize these rules to form the superego, which acts as a strict conscience. The superego operates according to the morality principle in that it seeks what is good and moral above all else. In that sense, Freud argued that it is just as illogical as the id. It only tells a person what is wrong, as opposed to the id.  
  
The superego is a personal angel. Go back to the cartoon example. The angel is the superego, the pansy one that tells people to respect others and not to do a bad act. In a sense, the superego is the conscience. By acting in a bad way, the superego scolds a person, and makes that person feel terrible; thereby letting them know to never act that way again.  
  
Freud said that the ego is the second part of the psyche. By explaining the three parts of the psyche in this order, further explanation of the ego will make more sense. The ego refers to your identity, or sense of self. The ego can control the id, to an extent.  
  
The ego is influenced by both the id and superego. If a person has good morals, they will more than likely choose to listen to the superego. If they do not, however, the id is usually the central force behind the ego.  
  
According to the characters in William Golding's novel, The Lord of the Flies, Jack represents the id, Ralph the ego, and Piggy the superego.  
  
Jack represents the id. In the beginning of the book, he tries to take over the group of kids, but is not elected. This most likely produced some sort of hatred in him towards Ralph. In Freud's description of the id, it only wants to have fun, not regarding rules or morals. "Jack is described in complete antithetical terms; he is distinguished by his ugliness and his red hair, a traditional demonic attribute (Rosenfield, pg 4)."  
  
That is exactly what Jack does. All throughout the novel, he disregards Ralph's plan, i.e. the shelters and the fire. He only wants to have fun and hunt while the other boys do the work. In the end, Jack tries to forcefully persuade Ralph to come to his side; otherwise, they will kill him. The id, wanting complete control over the ego, has one obstacle, the superego. Ultimately, the superego must be put out of the picture.  
  
This brings us to Piggy.  
  
Piggy represents the superego, the moral and good-natured part of our unconscious. Piggy always tries to do the right thing, and always scolds the other boys for doing something wrong with an ineffective remark. "What's grownups going to say (Golding, pg 92)?" The superego has to convince the ego what the right thing is to do, and Piggy does this by reminding Ralph of the non-existent grownups. "He [Piggy] has excessive regard for the forms of order...When the others neglected responsibility... he seconds Ralph by admonishing the others vigorously and becomes more and more of a spoil-sport who robs play of its illusions, the adult interrupting the game (Rosenfield, pg 5)." In a way, Piggy had more control over Ralph. Jack's plan, although sub-consciously, worked in the end. Piggy, the voice of reason, was killed.  
  
Ralph is the ego. The part of the brain influenced and supervised by the id and the superego. Ralph in the Middle (rip-off of Malcolm in the Middle) as I'll call him. Ralph has better morals than the other boys on the island. "Ralph is the natural leader by virtue of his superior height, superior strength and superior beauty. His mild expression proclaims him "No Devil." He possesses the symbol of authority, the conch or sea-shell...(Rosenfield, pg 3)." In the end, Piggy had more control over Ralph than Jack ever did.  
  
Each character comes to represent a portion of the psyche. Each also exerts its' control over the other parts. Ralph is in a precarious position, delicately balancing the superego and id. Piggy as the superego, Ralph as the ego and Jack as the id capture these them in Lord of the Flies. 


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